Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2013 20:46:06 -0500
From: Andrew Todd
Subject: Riding Lessons-Lessons Learned Chapter 12
This is a continuation of my first story, `Riding Lessons'. As always, if
you have any issues with romantic relationships between young men, please
do not proceed. I appreciate any and all feedback and constructive
criticism.
Riding Lessons II: Lessons Learned
By
Andrew Todd
Chapter 12
CJ and Danny took another look at the photos. They looked as if they had
been taken at the farm they worked at in Florida. Obviously they had been
taken after they had been working since they were both shirtless.
Before CJ and Danny could recover from their shock, Mr. Alvarez pulled
another envelope from the desk.
"Mateo," he said. "I have one for you as well--perhaps you would like to
share it with Anthony."
Not knowing what his brother had received, Mattie was curious about the
`gift'. He took the envelope and he and Spin huddled together to it check
out.
When they pulled the contents out, Mattie thought he would cry and Spin
turned his usual embarrassing shade of red. Inside the envelope were
pictures of the two making out like bandits, which had obviously been taken
at the ranch.
"Now, boys," Mr. Alvarez spoke. "Why don't we all have a seat?" He swept
his arm across the room indicating the chairs and sofa that were around the
desk.
Mr. Alvarez sat at his desk, Mrs. Alvarez standing behind him with her hand
on his shoulder. CJ, Danny, Mattie and Spin sat on the sofa facing the
desk, while Zak, Dusty and Dylan took seats in the wingback chairs that
were off to the side; they were each feeling uncomfortable, not knowing
what exactly was going on.
CJ and Mattie were seated next to each other in the middle of the sofa,
each flanked by his lover. They quickly exchanged a puzzled look and showed
the other the contents of their envelope.
Mr. Alvarez looked very seriously at his sons. Everything that CJ and
Mattie had planned had just flown out the window; in one moment their
father had taken the upper hand. They both braced for the worst.
"Boys," Mrs. Alvarez spoke first. "Please relax. Your father and I have
some things to say to you and then we can proceed from there."
"But, wha--, whe--, How?" Mattie couldn't speak and CJ couldn't get out a
coherent sentence.
Seeing that the cat was out of the proverbial bag, Danny and Spin both slid
close to their lovers to show their solidarity and support.
Mrs. Alvarez smiled at the showing of defiance and solidarity. A slim grin
also crossed Mr. Alvarez's unreadable face. Mr. Alvarez pushed a button
next to the phone on his desk. Immediately the door opened and two young
men dressed in black slacks and white tuxedo shirts entered the room
carrying trays.
"Before we begin, let's all have a drink to celebrate Carlos's birthday."
Each of the boys was handed a fluted glass of champagne. One of the servers
also handed a glass to Mr. and Mrs. Alvarez.
Mr. Alvarez stood. "Please stand for a moment boys," he said as he raised
his glass. "A father is lucky when his children grow up to become the fine
men he has always dreamed they would be. With all my children I am a lucky
man. But a father is truly blessed when his children grow to become more
than he had expected and more than he is. With Carlos and Mateo, I am truly
blessed. Please join me in toasting Carlos on his twenty-first birthday. My
son, you have truly made me proud to be your father."
Everyone sipped their champagne to toast CJ. Everyone, except Mattie and CJ
who chugged the liquid like it was the last thing being offered. Each was
so confused they could only hope that the other shoe would drop soon.
"Please be seated," Mr. Alvarez said.
Three young women carrying trays laden with finger foods entered the
room. They each placed a tray on the side tables around the room so the
food was easily accessible for everyone.
Mr. Alvarez turned to address Zak, Dusty and Dylan. "I see my sons are a
little flustered over my actions here today. Since they have not yet shared
with you their gifts, I have something to show you as well." He handed an
envelope to one of the young women who had stayed behind. She handed the
envelope to Zak who sat between Dusty and Dylan.
Zak hurriedly opened the envelope and removed the contents. Dusty's and
Zak's eyes bulged. They were looking at pictures of themselves at the
ranch. Some pictures simply showed them together, but a few of them showed
them kissing and holding each other.
Both boys looked up. Poor Dylan felt as if he were completely in over his
head.
As the boys all tried to start speaking at once, Mr. Alvarez raised his
hands to signal for silence.
"Boys," Mr. Alvarez began. "I don't know how much Carlos and Mateo have
shared with you, but I suspect most of you know more than I would have felt
comfortable with them sharing. I will, however, endeavor to fill in the
blanks. Mateo and Carlos are the chief beneficiaries of their late
grandfather's estate. Their brother, Pedro, and sister, Natalia, will
inherit smaller portions, but the lion's share goes to them. I'm not sure
until Wednesday, if Carlos was even aware of how much money was involved. I
would prefer to be discreet, but since I know how close you all are and
suspect that there are no secrets here, I will tell you that Carlos just
inherited upwards of fifty million dollars."
Zak, Dusty and Dylan each sat bug-eyed. They knew that CJ and Mattie were
rich, but they hadn't guessed it was that significant. The other four boys
simply sat there and waited for Mr. Alvarez to continue.
Mr. Alvarez observed the reactions. "As I thought", he said, smiling at his
sons and their significant others. "There are no secrets between you. I see
both Anthony and Daniel were not surprised by the amount." He looked at the
three boys on the edge of the room. "I suspect that had there been more
time, the information would have made it to you boys as well."
Mr. Alvarez grinned at all the boys and continued, "Since there was so much
at stake, it was important for Mrs. Alvarez and myself to do everything we
could to protect our sons. To that end, both boys have been under
observation by a security team for quite some time."
The boys again erupted. This time Mattie and CJ both shot out of their
seats ready to protest.
Mr. Alvarez stood up and again raised his hands. "Boys! Please!" He raised
his voice to be heard over the protests. "Allow me to finish without
interruption and then if you have any thing you wish to add, you may." He
motioned to the chairs. "Please sit; this will go easier if we are all calm
and relaxed."
Neither Mattie or CJ were sure about that. They had planned for things to
go bad, but nothing they had imagined had prepared them for this.
"As I was saying," Mr. Alvarez continued, "Carlos has been under
surveillance since he left for school in Florida and Mateo has been under
the same type of surveillance since we moved to this house. Previously it
wasn't necessary for him, because he simply did not venture out and we
always knew where he was and who he was with.
"I know you boys may think we were invading your privacy, but please see it
from our point of view. You were meeting new people and exploring new
places, but you were also vulnerable to kidnapping, blackmail or a myriad
of other problems. We were trying to protect you without `crimping your
style'". Mr. Alvarez smirked at his use of slang that he was not
comfortable using.
"At first the surveillance on Carlos was fairly low key. My instructions to
the men guarding him were that they were only to intercede or contact me if
they felt he was in immediate danger. Other than that they simply sent me
monthly reports letting me know that he was safe and reports on people who
he spent time with." He saw CJ's and Danny's objections in their eyes."
Before any of you start yelling again, please remember this was all done to
protect those you yourselves consider friends. We did not investigate any
further than necessary to ascertain that you and those around you were not
a danger to Mateo and Carlos nor that you could be seen as a threat to them
or their safety.
Along the way, we did learn certain things that I think both of my sons
would have preferred to have kept private. Of course, we learned that in
spite of instructions to him to earn a bachelor's in business, Carlos
forged ahead with his own plans to major in Equine Management. I'd like to
say we were surprised, but, my son, we were not. We would actually have
been more surprised and perhaps disappointed had you not done exactly what
you did."
CJ sank deeper into the couch. He didn't think his father capable of
shocking him in the manner that he continually did tonight.
"You see, boys, I have always wanted nothing more for my children than to
be successful people. To me and my way of thinking, a business degree was
the way to achieve this and for your brother and sister, I am
correct. Pedro will use his business degree to become a successful lawyer
and Natalia will use hers in the fashion industry. But I've always known
that you two would follow in your grandfather's footsteps. I was unsure of
whether or not to support this. My way of thinking was always that what
your grandfather did, while very successful, was not something that would
be as successful these days and that you could achieve more and do
better. But, your mother and I discussed it before you went off to school
and decided that if you wanted it bad enough you would find a way to
achieve it--but we would make you work for it. And you did exactly what we
knew you would."
CJ just shook his head and grinned for the first time that evening. "You
played me," he said softly. "Son of a bitch, you played me."
Mr. Alvarez laughed, "You could look at it that way, I suppose. I prefer to
see it as giving you your head. Isn't that the correct phrase from your
horse work?"
The boys all laughed nervously. None of them were sure what direction this
conversation was going in. So far, Mr. Alvarez was in complete control,
which was not what any of them expected, but he did not seem angry, as
Mattie and CJ had predicted; instead he seemed pleased with himself and his
sons.
"So we watched from afar as Carlos pushed himself through college and
obtained the degree that he wanted as well as working at the local farm
where he met Daniel. The early reports on Daniel were very good. He was as
good a student as Carlos, he was a champion rider and from everything we
saw and heard he was a good and kind person. We were pleased when we saw
that he and Carlos had become close friends and when they moved in to
together, we were happy that Carlos had a close friend and roommate in
Florida.
"Then we started getting new reports." He looked sharply at both CJ and
Danny. "At first the reports were rather vague. Of course, this made me
curious, so I instructed the guards to send much more complete reports, so
that I could get a better idea of what was going on. These men, who you two
have never met, take protecting you very seriously; they came to care for
your well-being and they thought by hiding your relationship they were
protecting you from me as they would protect you from any danger.
"Finally, they had no choice but to send me the full reports. I must say I
was shocked when I first read them and my first impulse was to fly to
Florida and drag you home, Carlos."
CJ nodded; here came what he had expected all along.
"But, I stopped myself. I shared the information with your mother and we
spoke at length over this development." Mr. Alvarez's expression was
unreadable. "I admit, I was not pleased at the idea of any of my sons being
homosexual." He looked at the other boys in the room. "I'm sure my sons
have described me in colorful terms to you." He grinned and most of the
boys laughed nervously.
"I would agree that I have probably earned some of that. I have pushed all
my children to be the best. I have pushed them to be like me, or in some
cases, better than me. I have very old-fashioned views of the world when it
comes to relationships. Before I was treated to pictures of my son and his,
ahh, paramour," he nodded to Danny; "before that moment, if you had told me
one of my sons was gay I would have had you escorted from my house and
soundly thrashed. But that belief was abstract--it was a `what if'. When I
was confronted with the reality, I had to rethink my beliefs and my
reactions.
"You boys owe much to your mother. She helped me a great deal. For her it
was a non-event. Carlos and Mateo are her babies and they are allowed to
love whomever they wish as long as that person loves them in return." He
looked sharply from Danny to Spin; both boys straightened up and returned
the gaze, showing that they understood and they did indeed love their
partners.
"Yes, my sons," Mrs. Alvarez spoke. "I can't say I understand how this
happens, but I do believe that it is not a choice, but the way you are. I
love each of you in your entirety and therefore must accept you and your
loves the way you are." She smiled at her sons.
"Yes," Mr. Alvarez nodded. "Well, it wasn't as easy for me as it was for
your mother. My first impulse was to have Carlos removed from that school
and Daniel's life and brought back home to finish his studies. Of course, I
believed that if he were away from Daniel's influence he would revert back
to the son he was supposed to be. Again, thank your mother that I did not
give in to my kneejerk reaction. Instead I spoke to many friends and, I
confess, some professionals. People who gave me their honest opinions. When
I listened to them I came to realize that I was the one who needed to
change. Yes, I could drag you back here and separate you from Daniel, but
that would not change who you are and in the end it would also make you
resent or even hate me. I knew I could not live with losing any of my
children.
"We--your mother and I--decided that we would let you come to us to tell us
about you and Daniel. When you didn't, I came to realize that this was my
fault. That you expected a certain response and you did not want to deal
with that response.
"Then we moved here and Mateo met his new friends. Your mother and I were
delighted that he was finally coming out of his shell and enjoying his time
with such wonderful boys. Of course, once you started spending so much time
at the ranch, we had the guards start following you and your friends as
well." Mattie and Spin cringed slightly.
"Yes, the first report included the pictures that I gave to Dustin and
Zachary. Of course, since I had grown to accept Carlos's sexuality, it was
a bit easier to see what two of your friends were up to. Then I received
the updates on you and Anthony. Again it was a tough pill for me to
swallow, but again your mother has helped me to see the light, so to
speak."
CJ cleared I his throat and everyone turned to look at him. "So, you're
saying that you accept Mattie and I and the fact that we are gay and the
fact that our friends are gay?"
Mr. Alvarez nodded. "Yes, Carlos, that is exactly what I am saying. I am an
old man. I did not find your mother until I was older than most men who
choose to marry. I have a choice. I can spend my remaining years separated
and alienated from my sons or I can embrace them and love them for as long
as we have."
"Father, I have to say I'm more than a little shocked," CJ said. "You've
always been very vocal in your dislike of homosexuals."
"Yes, Carlos, I have. Someday when you have children, you will understand
why I have changed on this. My children are my legacy. For years, I
believed for me to be successful as a parent, my children had to be just
like me. That is wrong; for me to be a successful parent, my children must
be better than me. I am still struggling with what you and Mateo are. I am
scared that you will suffer at the hands of others who do not understand
the way you are. But you will not suffer at my hands or by my actions."
Mattie jumped off the couch and ran to where his father sat. He leaned over
and hugged his father tight where he sat. He then went to his mother and
hugged her too.
"Thank you, Father. Mother," cried Mattie. "I was so afraid you would turn
against CJ and throw him out. I was ready to go with him if that happened."
Mr. Alvarez took one of Mattie's hands in his and Mrs. Alvarez did the same
thing.
Mr. Alvarez turned back to the boys. He surveyed his sons and their friends
with sadness in his eyes.
"I'm afraid you are going to be leaving with Carlos and Daniel, Mateo," he
said with a heavy sadness in his voice.
"What?" Mattie asked. "Why?"
Mr. Alvarez rose from the desk and walked to a couch that was next to the
one that Spin, Danny and CJ sat at. He sat down and had Mattie sit next to
him and Mrs. Alvarez on the other side of Mattie. He motioned for CJ to
join them and CJ sat down on the other side of his father.
"My sons, there is another reason that I have changed my way of looking at
things. When one is faced with his mortality, one must examine his
life. During my last physical, my doctor noticed some problems on a test
and upon further test discovered that I have colon cancer." Mattie gasped
and hugged his father.
"It is operable and I have an excellent chance at survival. But, since it
will be a long recovery, your mother and I have opted to return to Spain
for me to have my treatments. We both grew up there and the medical
facilities are excellent. Your brother and sister rarely come home and have
their own lives and Carlos--CJ--you are starting your life with Daniel. I
hear you are buying the Triple J ranch."
CJ looked at his father, the surprise registering in his eyes. "How?"
"Carlos, this is a small town and I am a wealthy businessman; it is hard to
keep anything a secret when those two things are combined. But, you are
going to be very successful, I know this. Initially, your mother and I
thought we would bring Mateo with us. But he is thriving here, so we cannot
break his heart or those of his friends." He grinned at Spin. "So, we would
like him to remain here with you and Daniel. Is that ok?"
CJ was trying to hold his emotions in check. "Father, of course it's
ok. I've wanted Mattie with me all along. I'm not happy for the reasons,
but I'd rather have him with me with your blessing."
"That you have, my son."
CJ leaned forward on the couch and hugged his father and his brother tight.
The other boys watched the Alvarez's show of emotion awkwardly for a few
moments. At that moment, everyone heard the loud doorbell chime.
CJ and Mattie released their father and sat back on the couch. Mr. Alvarez
stood and offered Mrs. Alvarez a hand to rise as well.
"Gentlemen, tonight there are to be no sad faces," Mr. Alvarez
instructed. "We are here to celebrate my son's coming of age, his college
graduation, his new business endeavor and our first meeting with his
betrothed. This is a night of merriment and joy. Please; eat, drink, and
enjoy our home. You are all family now. When the party concludes, rooms
have been prepared for you to stay tonight, so you needn't worry about
driving in any kind of impaired state." He grinned at all the boys. "Now, I
just need one more moment with Carlos, so the rest of you, please accompany
Mrs. Alvarez to greet our guests."
Mr. Alvarez and CJ stood by the desk waiting for everyone else to file
out. Danny shot a look of concern at CJ, but CJ just shrugged his shoulders
and smiled at Danny.
When everyone had left the room, Mr. Alvarez shut the door and walked back
to his desk.
He sat down behind the desk and CJ stood in front of it.
"I have a question, Father." CJ said.
"Yes."
"Did you know where Danny was this whole time?"
Mr. Alvarez shook his head. "No. Please understand that the reports were
only to pertain to your security and Mateo's. The only information we
received about the other boys were background checks. I honestly did not
even know that Daniel had left until months after the fact. The monthly
reports just indicated that your routine was the same and you were
safe. But, come now, you could have found him anytime you wanted."
"I probably could have, but I needed him to come back to me. If I had
chased him down it wouldn't have been the same.
"I understand. I was curious, given the resources you have why you didn't
simply search for Daniel, but no I do understand. I want you to know, I am
happy that you have found each other again. You seem to be making each
other happy."
"Thank you, Father, we are," CJ said. "So what did you need to see me in
private for?"
"There was one more set of pictures that I wanted you to see," Mr. Alvarez
said as he pulled a final envelope from the drawer. He placed the envelope
on the desk and stood up. "I'll leave you to examine them--these are the
only copies," he said pointedly as he walked out of the room.
CJ reached over and grabbed the envelope; he tore it open and yanked out
the pictures. He paled when he looked at the pictures. There was a torn
slip of paper clipped to the pictures. He read it and slipped it into his
pocket. He took the envelope and the pictures over to the fireplace. He
grabbed a match from the dish on the mantel and struck it. He set the
pictures and the envelope alight and dropped them into the fireplace. He
watched as the pictures burned.
When it was all just a pile of smoldering ashes, CJ adjusted his tie and
walked out of the room to join the party.
The party was fun for all the boys. They finally got to meet Mattie and
CJ's brother, Pete, and sister, Natalia.
It was easy to see that CJ and Mattie had lucked out by getting their
mother's looks. Mrs. Alvarez was tall and thin, almost regal in stature;
she had the same almond-shaped hazel eyes and jet-black hair as CJ and
Mattie. She was an incredibly attractive woman.
Pete and Natalia unfortunately inherited their father's looks. Mr. Alvarez
was about 5'10" tall. He was very stocky in build and what little hair he
had left had long ago turned gray.
Pete was his father's younger twin. Same height and build, stern face and
beady green eyes. Pete's hair had not started to recede--it was indeed in
full retreat.
Natalia was also short and was very stout. She dressed like a girl several
inches taller and many pounds lighter. Natalia was every inch the bitch
that her brothers described her as. The only one of her brothers' friends
that she did not completely ignore or treat with utter disdain was Dylan
who she seemed to treat as a potential conquest.
Every time the boys turned around, Natalia would have poor Dylan pinned
against the wall or some piece of furniture. She would be embarrassingly
close and Dylan would have a look of sheer panic on his face. CJ had to
pull Natalia away several times to remind her that Dylan was only fourteen
years old. Natalia did not seem to care; in spite of her size and very
ordinary looks she had no problem keeping her bed filled in New York. As
far as she was concerned, money talked in a way that looks did not.
Finally, Danny and Zak, the two who felt the most responsible for Dylan,
rounded the other boys up and created a human barricade around poor Dylan.
Natalia finally gave up and turned her attentions to the sixteen-year-old
son of one of her father's business associates.
The boys also met Mattie and CJ's Uncle Juan, their mother's brother, who
proved himself to be every bit the smarmy asshole that Mattie and CJ said
he was.
Juan De Marco was Mrs. Alvarez's older brother by many years. He was very
tall and thin with a sharp nose and thin pencil mustache that made him look
like a cartoon villain. He sneered at almost everyone. Even when trying to
be pleasant to his sister and nephews you could feel the contempt just
oozing from every one of his pores.
The boys all avoided Uncle Juan after they had been introduced. It was not
very difficult as the man showed no interest in being around anyone at the
party.
The party continued until the early hours of Saturday morning. Many people
stopped by to offer CJ congratulations on his birthday and his
graduation. Mattie and CJ spent the night mingling and introducing their
friends to many of their parents' friends and business associates.
The boys tried to be responsible considering the number of open bars at the
party. By the time the last guest had left and it was only the Alvarez
family, the boys and Uncle Juan, Dylan was the only one of the boys who was
stone sober. The rest ranged from mildly buzzed (Zak) to almost blitzed
into unconsciousness (Spin) and everything in between.
Mattie led a parade up the stairs to the bedrooms. He dropped Zak and Dusty
off at the guest room at the end of the first hall and then took Spin and
Dylan to his room. He knew that Spin was too far gone to even attempt
anything sexual, so he felt safe in bringing Dylan in with them for an
impromptu slumber party.
Mattie had Dylan help him strip Spin to his underwear and deposit him in
the bed. Mattie and Dylan then both stripped. Mattie crawled into the bed
and spooned up against Spin. Dylan slipped under the covers after Mattie
and hugged the side of the bed.
"Dylan," Mattie whispered. "You don't have to stay all the way over
there. You're our friend; nothing's going to happen but we can snuggle."
Dylan hesitated for a moment and then slowly slipped closer to
Mattie. Mattie pulled Spin and himself back so that Dylan was spooned
against Mattie's back. Dylan tentatively reached around Mattie. Mattie
grabbed Dylan's arms and wrapped them tightly around his chest.
Spin was already passed out and Mattie and Dylan quickly followed.
CJ and Danny stayed downstairs to have a final drink with CJ's parents.
"Mr. Alvarez, Mrs. Alvarez," Danny said. "Thank you for your
hospitality. It's been an amazing evening. I just want you to know that I
will help CJ do everything we can to see that Mattie stays happy and
healthy until you return."
Mrs. Alvarez walked over and embraced Danny. "Thank you, Daniel. I think my
son made a wonderful choice when he chose you. I've watched you and Carlos
tonight; I see the way you look at each other. The love between you is so
strong. Never take that for granted. Always stay true to each other."
"We will," Danny responded. "I love CJ more than anything and I love Mattie
like he was my own brother."
Danny and CJ excused themselves to go up to bed and CJ's parents did the
same.
Sometime later, three members of the family met in the downstairs study.
Juan sat at the desk while Natalia and Pete stood around it.
"Well, your parents are off to Spain and Mateo is staying with Carlos and
his lover," Juan announced. "I had hoped that your father would join us in
this endeavor, but apparently between my sister whispering in his ear and
his diagnosis, he has turned over a new leaf."
"Great. Where does that leave us?" whined Natalia. "We only agreed to this
because we were screwed by grandfather. You made things worse by selling
the estancia."
Pete nodded. "I had a chance to talk to CJ earlier. He has a lawyer and
they are going to audit the trust. When they find that the sale of the
estancia was undervalued and you pocketed almost half for yourself, they
are coming after you."
"Then they won't find out," Juan spat. "We couldn't stop Carlos from
getting his hands on his trust and that money has slipped away, but I am
still the trustee of Mateo's portion for five more years. As far as his
accountants and lawyers go, I have some of the most creative accountants
available. The books they will be sent are perfect. It will take a while
for them to track every transaction and business move that they cover. That
gives us some time to figure out a way to break the trust."
"And if we can't break it?" Natalia asked. "What happens then?"
"Well, there is a clause in the trust that says if Mateo dies prior to
reaching maturity then the trust would be split between his surviving
siblings."
"But, you wouldn't," Pete paled.
"My dear nephew, surely you know that the horses that your brothers are so
fond of can be very dangerous."